Franticshipping Reunion Fic
by 105ttt
Summary: Ruby has agreed to meet up with Sapphire after not seeing each other for some time. He is happy to be able to see her again, but he worries that Sapphire will bring up some things from the past that may complicate their friendship. This story takes place immediately after the Emerald story arc.
1. Chapter 1

"Sapphire said we would meet up here. Where is she…?" Ruby pondered to himself, glancing around while adjusting his new knit cap. Since the two Dexholders were preoccupied with their training, there was little time for much else. Now that Emerald was more open to them, it lessened the time the two could be together alone. Not that Ruby minded though. Honestly, he was just happy that Sapphire didn't hold anything against him for his occasional trespasses, or at least not as far as he knew. She did seem to get irritable or nervous whenever someone brought up Mirage Island or the battle against Groudon and Kyogre, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

Sighing at the absence of his colleague, he rested on the bench near him and zipped open the main pocket of his backpack. Reaching inside for something, he pulled out a rugged, dirty piece of printer paper. Though he knew what it said, he proceeded to read it anyway. The words were written in a messy scrawl and lacked any complicated wording, but even so, it was legible.

"Hiya, Ruby! I was gonna ask ya if ya wanted to hang out later when nothin' was happenin'! It's been a long time since we've done anythin' with jus us two, y'know? I couldn't find ya, so I wrote this and left it on yer desk at yer house. Meet me at Rustboro near the Devon Corp. at around 3:00 PM, and bring yer Pokémon while yer at it! We can train after we stroll around or somethin' like that. See ya there!"

She had signed her name at the bottom, and it was by far the most legible word. She must have practiced it many times before.

"-Sapphire"

He gazed up to the sky above him. No clouds, no Bird Pokémon, nothing. Only blue. Blue like the color of her bandana. Blue like the color of her shirt. Blue like the color of those beautiful, deep eyes that he could get lost in for hours, days, months, years…

"RUBY!"

Within moments Ruby found his shoulders scrunched up and the paper in his lap. Standing before him was the wild-woman herself. Her arms and legs were colored with dashes of brown and black, and in her right palm she held an array of berries. Her hair contained a few tangles and twigs, but was otherwise uniform. A grin was sprawled across her face, exposing her tiny fangs.

"Huh?" Ruby asked, looking at her berry cargo. This wasn't rare for Sapphire to carry some berries with her, but usually they were in her bag. Why she had them all out now was a mystery.

"Ya thought I was late, didn't ya?" The question left her mouth in a snide remark, as if trying to prove him wrong.

"Y-yeah…"

"Then, check this here Pokégear!" She suggested, holding out a Pokégear with her free hand that Ruby didn't recognize. The digital dial displayed the numbers 2, 5, and 5, followed by the letters P and M in that order. Ruby's eyes widened.

"Huh. Well, would you look at that. Where did you get that Pokégear, though? I've never seen you with it."

Sapphire looked a little off to the side.

"I kinda took it from my Pop…"

"Oh."

He didn't bother asking about why her figure was so messy. The most probable situation he had figured was that she'd just gone out to get the berries she was now holding. He disregarded it.

"Ah! Anyway, these're for you." Sapphire explained, lifting the berries closer to Ruby's face. Though the hand somewhat obscured his view, he could see that her mouth was fidgeting a little, and her face shown the slightest hint of pink. Perhaps that was why she had placed her hand so close.

"Thank you…" Ruby said with his voice trailing off as he reached out for and grabbed the morsels. Upon inspecting the girl again, he saw her hands rush behind her back.

"Of course. I thought ya might enjoy 'em. The Pecha Berries taste awful sweet, but I don't like 'em much. I figured ya could use 'em for yer Pokéblocks or for feedin' yer Pokémon. Whatever ya do with 'em is up to you." She rambled a little, shifting feet ever so slightly.

"Sweet, huh?" Ruby asked, referencing the Pecha Berries now in his hands. They glistened with the luster of freshly picked fruit. He knew she had taken special care in picking the better specimens.

"Anyway, if yer not busy, do ya wanna maybe go fer a walk? In the woods? Near Petalburg?" There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes that he would agree. With a nod, Ruby placed the berries in his bag and stood up.

"Sure."

Sapphire's face faded to be a bit less pink, and she gulped and excitedly grabbed hold of his hand before dashing off, dragging Ruby behind.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, do ya like walkin' in the woods? I never asked ya." Sapphire inquired with relaxed voice. The forest was her home, and Ruby could see it. Here, her shoulders relaxed, her arms swung with ease, and her feet seemed to move on their own. Her eyes naturally scanned the treetops for good vines to swing on, and, to Ruby's amusement, she occasionally would stop and grab her arm to prevent herself from grabbing towards a tree and climbing it. It was nice to see her content rather than upset, and Ruby took delight in it.

"It's not my most favorite place in the world, but I can see some of its beauty." Ruby commented, leaving off a certain factor to which he attributed such beauty. It walked next to him and reveled in itself.

"Maybe ya just haven' seen how fun it can be! I'll show ya!"

With that, Sapphire rushed to the nearest tree she deemed fit. Before Ruby even had the chance to object, she had already climbed to the lowest branches of the plant and was crawling carefully to a particularly long vine. Gripping it firmly but remaining in place on the branch, she called out to Ruby. From his view on the ground, she looked as if she were a forest guardian, elegant and watchful over the widespread expanse of wildlife, her toned body towering over his.

"YA JUS GOTTA FIND A GOOD VINE, AND THEN YA SWING! SIMP-"

Before she could continue her instructions, she found herself swinging unexpectedly through the air in Ruby's direction. Almost instinctively, he yelled, then made a blunt noise when her body smacked into his. With a thud, Ruby found his back against a tree and Sapphire in his arms.

"Ugh… What the…" Sapphire mumbled before flinching at the current position of the two. If there was a darker shade of pink, then Ruby did not know, for Sapphire's face turned a vibrant shade of rose.

"I didn' mean to… I was only tryin' to…"

He shooshed at her gently, then, barely disregarding the warm feeling Sapphire brought by being so close, he glanced around the treetops for a possible suspect. A Ninjask flew quickly out of his view right as he stole a quick look at it. He turned back to Sapphire and motioned his head in its direction.

"That Ninjask must have pushed you off the tree without you noticing it. Luckily you were holding on to that vine. Kind of odd though…"

"Eh? Why?"

"You're usually so alert to natural things. That's one trait I admire about you."

"A-admire…?"

Ruby stopped his breath for a second. The way she had repeated the question brought an uneasy feeling in him. This time he could feel the heat building in his cheeks and all over his face.

"Yeah. I admire that about you."

"Huh. That's… nice of ya."

"Yeah."

The two stood there in silence, holding onto each other as the sounds of wild Pokémon, rustling leaves, and rushing water filled their ears. All was calm, and the warmth between the two made things all the more enjoyable. Without any hesitation, Sapphire leaned in and embraced him, keeping her head on his chest.

"Sapphire? What are you-"

"Why do ya pretend like ya don't remember Mirage Island, Ruby?"

The question struck him like a thunderbolt. He knew she would bring it up, and this time, he couldn't go anywhere.

"Sapphire, I-"

"Why?" She asked again, her voice flat and yet underlying with sorrow. The guilt was surfacing in Ruby's mind, but he knew he had to find a way to make amends before she grew angry.

"Sapphire, you know I don't know what you're-"

"Yes, ya do, Ruby! Ya do remember! I know ya do! How could ya forget our trainin'?! Our time together?!" She burst, but then settled. "Our… our confessions to each other about our feelins…"

There wasn't many options left at this point. She'd brought up so many significant things about their time on the island that any denial of them would only enrage her more. Lost on what to do, he figured it was about time to face the truth. Without a sound, he placed his hands on her cheeks, lifted her lips to his, and joined them for a short time. He could feel the heat emanating from both of their faces, and he did his best to be gentle and reserved so as to not lead her on. When they separated, he gave her an answer.

"No, I didn't forget. I do remember that, but Sapphire, you have to understand that I can't exactly be in a relationship right now. We're both busy. Dad wants me to train more, and now that I've finished my contest career for a while, I've got more time to do that. If I don't use that time to train, Dad will only scold me for it. I don't want to risk becoming more sour as a result of that and making you reject me for my bitterness. Please, Sapphire, understand that. As much as I want to be this close, I've got duties to fulfill. I want to be with you when I can. I really do. You mean a lot to me, and I hold those fond memories of Mirage Island close to my heart. I promise that when Dad calms down about this, I'll-"

He was cut off. Sapphire had pulled him in for another kiss. This time she made him stay a little longer, and the gentleness of it all, the warmth, the sincerity of it, soothed both of them. When they pulled away, she spoke again.

"Act like ya remember, then, dummy. We've got time right now, right? Let's enjoy it, you and me. C'mon, Ruby." She looked into his eyes and spoke softly, removing his cap cautiously.

He smiled a little at her prospect to remove his hat, then helped her with it before ruffling her hair while holding the cap in his hand. Caressing the messy strands, he dipped her and got their faces close again.

The Taillows chirped, the Nincadas buzzed, and nobody knew what the two of them did in those woods on that warm, lazy day.


End file.
